Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Elevating Black Voices from the American Revolution
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Elevating Black Voices from the American Revolution
By Comcast NBCUniversal
|
Aug 16, 2021
Comcast NBCUniversal and the Museum of the American Revolution announced the launch of a new African American Interpretive Program (AAIP) designed to expand the Museum’s capacity to develop and deliver programs that explore the lives, experiences, and impact of Revolutionary-era people of African descent.
The program is part of the Museum’s Diversify Living History Initiative to support a more diverse community of people engaged in the work of costumed living history and museum education.
We’re excited to see the program inspire others and make our communities stronger through learning and understanding.
“We are committed to lifting up stories that have often gone untold, with the conviction that inclusive history is the most accurate history,” said Dr. R. Scott Stephenson, President and CEO of the Museum of the American Revolution.
Leading the AAIP is Michael Idriss, a Philadelphia-based educator and Interpretive Fellow at the museum. Idriss will manage the museum’s costumed interpreters who bring to life the stories of people of color in the Revolutionary era. The Interpreters-in-Residence program will also support a summer living history institute for teens and young adults to introduce them to professional museum work, historical research and writing, and costumed living history in 2022.
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“I’m excited to be a part of an incredible team that’s bringing to life the stories, talents, and perspectives of people of African descent,” Idriss said. “We need to understand more about both free and enslaved people of African ancestry and their role in building this nation.”
The new program also includes creating a new first-person theatrical performance based on the life and experiences of James Forten, a free Black Revolutionary era sailor and Philadelphian.
Comcast NBCUniversal recognizes the legacy and impact Black people have and continue to play in shaping the culture and history of the United States. Last summer, the company announced an expanded Diversity, Equity and Inclusion commitment to fight injustice and inequality against any race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or ability.
“We’re honored to support the African American Interpretive Program and help elevate forgotten voices, including people of African descent who fought to win our nation’s independence,” said Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Carol Eggert, Senior Vice President of Military and Veteran Affairs at Comcast NBCUniversal. “We’re excited to see the program inspire others and make our communities stronger through learning and understanding.”
Comcast NBCUniversal also partnered with the museum as presenting sponsor of its most recent special exhibition, When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807; as education sponsor of the upcoming special exhibit Liberty: Don Troiani’s Paintings of the Revolutionary War, and as the sponsor of the museum’s Memorial Day and Veterans Day weekends, providing free admission for veterans, service members, and Blue Star families.
